Quick, name three big Dutch beer makers. If you said Heineken, Grolsch and Bavaria, you deserve a free pint.

They are the three largest breweries in the Netherlands, and Heineken (which also brews Amstel) is one of the biggest in the world.

All three brew pale lagers that taste equally good whether you’re drinking them in Utrecht or Uzbekistan.

But there’s another group of beer makers in the country who are winning attention and accolades for their approach to malt and hops — the growing number of microbreweries that are popping up around the country, especially in Amsterdam.

There’s nothing formulaic about these small brewers. Sure, you can find lagers on tap, but you’ll also find sour brown ales, fruity bocks, black IPAs and strong “tripel” blond ales made in the Trappist style.

If you’re a beer lover visiting Amsterdam, by all means, spend some time in both camps.

An obvious place to start is with the heavyweight, Heineken, which has turned an old brewery into a top tourism draw called the Heineken Experience.

This interactive tour, which takes an hour or two, is a great way for beer lovers to get an overview of the business of brewing. You’ll start by learning about the history of the company, founded by Gerard Heineken in 1864 and passed down to his descendants.

You’ll find out how the beer is made, see the copper vats in which it was once brewed, meet the Heineken horses that pull a draft cart through the streets twice a day, see Heineken ads from around the world and take part in a 3-D experience that puts you in the middle of the bottling process.

And finally, you’ll get your well-deserved reward, the chance to pull your own draft and taste the pale golden brew.

The craft brewing movement in the Netherlands has lagged behind what’s been happening for years in neighbouring Belgium and Germany, and has only about five per cent of the Dutch beer market.

But with the recent boom in microbreweries, especially in Amsterdam, it’s now relatively easy to sample an impressive variety of small-batch beers.

The great thing about Dutch pubs is that you can buy a small glass (about 20 to 25 cl, about 8 oz in Canada), which means you can try a few different brews at each pit stop without losing the ability to navigate your way back to your hotel.

But watch those alcohol levels, which are usually posted alongside the description of each beer — some are as high as 10 per cent, or twice the punch of a Heineken.

An excellent place to start your craft-beer quest is at Proeflokaal Arendsnest, a cosy bar perched on a canal in the centre of Amsterdam that has 30 Dutch craft brews on tap on any given day.

If the huge blackboard describing the day’s selection of drafts leaves you confused and thirsty, take a seat at the copper-topped bar, put your taste buds in the hands of the bartender and you won’t be steered wrong.

One of my favourites at Arendsnest is Jubilaris, a Trappist-style beer that has a slightly sweet taste and goes down easily.

I also like the hoppy Tempelbier and Roos-Boos, a black IPA with an aggressively malty style. I’m not a big fan of sour beer but the Mestreechs Aajt, a Flemish-style sour brown ale that smells a bit like Worcertershire sauce, almost won me over.

The Netherlands has lots of windmills, but not many are home to a craft brewery.

That’s why it’s worth the trek east from Amsterdam’s centre to Brouwerij ’t IJ, one of the city’s first microbreweries. Former musician Kaspar Peterson opened it in 1985 because, like many others, he was dissatisfied with the quality of mass-produced Dutch beer.

He’s since sold the brewery, but still lives in the windmill.

The brewery’s pub has between six and 10 of its house-made beers on tap at any one time. I liked Zatte, a strong blond “tripel” beer in the Belgian style that was the first beer the brewery ever produced. And I was even more fond of IJwit, a wheat beer with a hint of citrus that would be perfect for sipping on the brewery’s outdoor patio on a summer afternoon.

You can sign up for a tour of the brewery on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. But don’t plan on spending a night at the pub at Brouwerij ’t IJ because it’s open only from 2 to 8 p.m.

If you’re looking for a casual spot for dinner accompanied by craft beer, try Bierfabriek in the city centre. Charcoal-grilled, free-range chicken is the house specialty, accompanied by bread made with beer yeast. Both wash down easily with the two beers brewed in house, Rosso (a malty red ale) and Nero (a rich and smooth Porter). Puur, an unfiltered pilsner, is brewed offsite for Bier Fabriek by another small brewery, Limburg Brewery Alfa.

In the heart of Amsterdam’s red light district is Brouwerij de Prael, which has a unique history. It opened in 2002 as a business with a social purpose, to offer employment to people with a history of mental illness.

Since then, it has grown into a brewery, pub and café that produces 16 craft beers, many named for well-known Dutch singers. A Kolsch-style lager called Johnny is named for Johnny Jordaan, a singer popular in the 1950s and ’60s. Nick & Simon is a slightly hazy IPA that gets its name from the singer-songwriter duo Nick Schilder and Simon Keizer.

A testament to de Prael’s success — and to the growing popularity of craft beer in the Netherlands — is that the brewery is struggling to keep up with demand. Co-owner Arno Kooij says it produced 120,000 litres of beer in 2013 and expects to double that this year with the addition of new tanks.

So if you visit Amsterdam a year or two from now, don’t be surprised if craft brewers have more than just a sliver of the Dutch beer market. Unlike the Dutch folk tale about the boy who averted a flood by sticking his finger in a dike, the craft beer inundation looks like it’s going to be hard to hold back.

IF YOU GO:

How to get there

Dutch airline KLM flies non-stop from Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary to Amsterdam. Its cushy World Business Class is well worth the upgrade.

Where to stay

Hotel de l’Europe: This stunning luxury hotel is owned by Heineken and is home to Freddy’s bar, named after former patriarch Freddy Heineken. www.leurope.nl

Art’otel Amsterdam: One of the city’s newest hotels, it’s also one of the hippest, with contemporary art throughout. www.artotelamsterdam.com

The Albus: A contemporary, reasonably priced hotel near the city’s flower market. www.albushotel.com

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